Evolution Exile ESB 5.8%: Same color but a funkier, more floral nose, richer body but still quite dry, with flavors more akin to dried grass/hay, pleasant hop balance but it's stil not about the hops..... I'm thinking this needs Indian food, or maybe roast meats.

Evolution Lucky 7 Porter 5.8%: perfect porter color, bright, sweet malt nose promises a caramely, creamy porter, and it delivers--thick and creamy as a decadent root beer float, yet full of roast. Not complaining, but this needs a bit of hop balance. A nutty finish, walnuts and chicory.

Oh, the hell with it. Moving on, since it was dropped in front of me by a brewery rep, Otter Creek Imperial IPA, 22-oz. bottle sample: light amber, what I've come to call the "candied hop" nose.... VERY heavy and viscuous beer, but somewhat dry in flavor--that is, what flavor gets through these sackfuls of HOPS. Hops, hops, hops. Bravo, Apollo, Amarillo, Simcoe, 11%, 135 (!) IBU's. New brewer at Otter Creek, Mike Gerhart, ex-Dogfish Head (oh, THAT explains a lot!). Six malts. Bravo and Apollo are new hops to the market, they say.